An electric motor including a stator, and a rotor supported for rotation within the stator. The rotor includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart radially outer permanent magnets fixed to the rotor and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart radially inner permanent magnets movably supported by the rotor. The radially inner permanent magnets are movable radially with respect to the rotor between a first radially inner position and a second radially outer position to weaken the magnetic field of the radially outer permanent magnets at higher speeds.

An electric motor including a stator, and a rotor supported for rotation within the stator. The rotor includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart radially outer permanent magnets fixed to the rotor and a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart radially inner permanent magnets movably supported by the rotor. The radially inner permanent magnets are movable radially with respect to the rotor between a first radially inner position and a second radially outer position to weaken the magnetic field of the radially outer permanent magnets at higher speeds.

A drive system, mountable onto a vehicle including a detachable rotational drive mechanism, for driving the rotational drive mechanism in accordance with a torque requirement. The drive system includes an engine that outputs first rotational power, and a generator that includes a rotor for receiving the first rotational power, a stator including a stator core with a winding wound thereon, a magnetic circuit for the winding passing through the stator core, and a supply current adjustment device for adjusting magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding, to thereby change an inductance of the winding to adjust an output current of the generator. The drive system further includes a motor driven by the outputted current of the generator to output second rotational power to the rotational drive mechanism, and a control device configured to control both the engine and the supply current adjustment device, in accordance with the torque requirement.

A vehicle including an engine, a generator, a motor, a driving member and a control device. The generator includes a rotor, a stator having a stator core with a winding wound thereon, and an inductance adjustment device that changes an inductance of the winding by changing magnetic resistance of a magnetic circuit for the winding that passes through the stator core. The current adjustment device adjusts a current outputted from the generator to the motor, which drives the driving member. The control device, upon receiving a request for increasing the current to be supplied to the motor, directs the inductance adjustment device to adjust the generator to operate in a state in which the inductance of the winding is low, directs the engine to increase a rotation speed thereof to increase the rotational power, and directs the current adjustment device to increase the output current of the generator.

A vehicle includes a vehicle body, an electromotive driving unit mounted on the vehicle body, an engine operable with a liquid fuel, a generator that generates electric power, and a control device including a power generation control unit and an electric power output unit. The power generation control unit outputs a signal for controlling the engine and the generator, the electric power output unit outputting electric power generated by the generator to the electromotive driving unit. The control device in combination with the engine and the generator constitutes a physically integrated unit that is mountable to and dismountable from the vehicle body. The control device is configured to output a store visit promotion signal to an informing device while the physically integrated unit is mounted on the vehicle body, to prompt a visit to a store where the physically integrated unit is replaceable.

A transmission for outputting a rotational torque in accordance with a torque requirement. The transmission includes a generator, a motor and a control device. The generator includes a rotor configured to receive first rotational power from an engine, a stator including a stator core with a winding wound thereon, a magnetic circuit for the winding passing through the stator core, and a supply current adjustment device configured to adjust magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding, to thereby change an inductance of the winding to adjust a current outputted by the generator. The motor is driven by the current outputted from the generator, to thereby output second rotational power. The control device controls the supply current adjustment device to change the inductance of the winding, in accordance with the torque requirement.

A current supply system configured to receive a rotational driving force and supply a current for driving an electrical load device in accordance with a current requirement. The current supply system includes a rotor, including a permanent magnet, configured to receive the rotational driving force, and a stator including a stator core with a winding wound thereon, a magnetic circuit for the winding passing through the stator core, the rotational driving force causing the rotor and the stator to generate the current. The current supply system further includes a supply current adjustment device configured to change magnetic resistance of the magnetic circuit for the winding in accordance with the current requirement, to thereby change an inductance of the winding to adjust the generated current.

Examples are disclosed that relate to an electric machine that achieves independent speed, variable frequency power generation and has increased power density, efficiency, reliability, and reduced complexity relative to conventional electric machines. In one example, an electric machine includes a stator, a first stationary winding coupled to the stator, a second stationary winding coupled to the stator, and a rotor. The second stationary winding includes a plurality of winding segments corresponding to a number of phases of power of the electric machine. The rotor extends through the stator and the second stationary winding. The rotor includes a plurality of rotor segments. Each rotor segment of the plurality of rotor segments includes a plurality of pole lobes that extend radially from the rotor segment. Two or more pole lobes of each rotor segment are located on opposing sides of a corresponding winding segment of the second stationary winding.

There are presented various embodiments disclosed in this application, including methods and systems of arranging permanent magnets to switch from a first configuration designed for a first torque output to a second configuration designed for a second torque output.

An example electrical machine is described that includes active segments for variable voltage generation. The electrical machine includes a drive shaft, a fixed rotor segment, an active rotor segment, and an actuator mechanism. The fixed rotor segment is coupled to the drive shaft, where the fixed rotor segment has affixed thereon first permanent magnets of alternating polarity. The active rotor segment axially is adjacent to the fixed rotor segment along the drive shaft. The active rotor segment also has affixed thereon second permanent magnets of alternating polarity. The actuator mechanism is configured to articulate the active rotor segment relative to the fixed rotor segment and thereby alter a phase of the second permanent magnets relative to the first permanent magnets in order to change a first voltage generated by the electrical machine to a second voltage generated by the electrical machine.